Idiot
by GingahNinjah
Summary: Link, in his rush to find Colin and the others, neglects to think of his own health and ends up hurt. Midna rushes to find the idiot some help. Oneshot.


A few bokoblins. Just a few bokoblins. He could take them. No problem. Just beyond this gate, the Ordon kids were waiting for him. He couldn't stop now. He was too close to turn back now, too close to make any detours. He had to make sure they were alright. He had to get in there and restore the light. For them.

Link pulled his trusty sword from its sheath. It felt twice as heavy in his sluggish hands. He was so tired. So tired.

Just this last battle. Then you can rest.

He shifted into battle stance but the pain in his right leg quickly sent him back on his left. Unbalanced, injured, and exhausted. The odds were not in his favor. He could practically feel Midna rolling her eyes from inside his shadow as she snipped "It's just a couple of bokoblins. They're down in one hit."

Link glanced down at his leg. It was just a flesh wound. Wasn't that bad. He hadn't had the time to treat it though...or the supplies for that matter. He'd run out in the temple.

Midna shot out from under him and once more took the form of his friend Ilia, crying out in terror. "You're not giving up on them, are you?"

No. Of course he wasn't. Link started forward to fight. With both hands, he swung his blade through the neck of the nearest bokoblin. As the sword swung back, for a moment it seemed it would take Link with it, but he brought it back through yet another neck. Two more were approaching. And they looked mad. Link pulled out his shield just in time to block a blow to the head. He stumbled backwards but remained standing, managed to sidestep, and slew a third goblin. A fourth, however, hit the boy square in the chest with a fat fist, throwing him to the ground with the wind knocked out of him. He dragged himself to his feet much slower than he'd ever moved and turned to face his foe.

It was then Midna noticed just how bad he looked. He was clearly favoring his left leg, which would do him no good in a battle. Even against such weak foes. Whatever damage was causing his limp was hidden by a poor patch job. The bags under his eyes were as dark as she was. Come to think of it, he hadn't stopped to heal after the temple. He had just ran right ahead. And on this five day journey, he had scarcely slept, it seemed. Always anxious to keep moving, to get to the kids. Idiot. She'd encouraged that, of course...but that was when she thought he was giving up...

The bokoblin's next blow was blocked by Link's shield, but the resounding CRACK told her his arm had snapped under pressure. Another hit, another crack. Link slashed at the goblin's chest, spilling more blood over Hyrule Field, but as he went in for the final blow, the bokoblin's blade found his chest first.

"...Link?"

The boy stared down at the wound, blood blossoming over his tunic, spilling through his damaged chain mail. He swayed a little on the spot, managed to give his sword one last killing swing, and collapsed.

"LINK?"

Midna floated over his battered body, observing the alarming rate blood flowed from his body. _No no no nononono. You idiot, are you really as dumb as you look? How'd you let this happen? Why didn't you tell me?_

They were still a mile from the twilight wall. There would be shops there, in the village. Potions, bandages, food. She could fix him up there...

But she couldn't lift him, as a shadow, and he had not yet opened a portal inside. Anyway, to have him transform in this state could prove to be a terrible idea. At his best, it took a lot out of him. It was painful and traumatic. In this state, it could kill him...

Ordon Village.

She could take him to the spring. The waters had a healing effect. It would help him. At least prolong the inevitable until she could find him some help. The people of his village would surely help him.

Midna shoved her fears into the back of her mind to make way for concentration, and a portal opened up above them. The two reappeared exactly as they were, in Ordon Spring.

The trip had taken a lot out of her. It was much harder to move him in this form, and she wasn't sure she'd be able to do it again. _He better be grateful, and he better not expect it again. _

The waters seemed to be doing as Midna had hoped. His bloodloss was slowed, at least. But he still didn't look good. She flew into the village as fast as she could, searching out the family she knew cared for Link like their own. Colin's. And more than that, Rusl was a swordsman himself. He would know how to treat battle wounds. He and his wife could help.

She floated into their home. They were eating dinner together. The wife was trying hard not to look at the empty spot where Colin sat. Midna whispered into Rusl's ear "go to the spring".

Rusl shuddered but shook it off. She said it again. He shook as a chill ran down his spine. "I'll be right back, honey."

"Rus, what is it?" the wife called after him as he ran out the door.

"Just a feeling. Probably nothing...I'll be back!"

Midna flew just behind Rusl as he ran to the spring. As he rounded the corner, his ankles splashing in the water, he stopped cold at the state of the boy he loved like a son. The initial shock passed and battleground mentality took over. This was no boy. This was a wounded soldier who needed help right away. He pulled his shattered arm out of his shield, then gathered him up in his arms bridal style and made for home-quickly, but careful not to jostle him too much.

Uli, watching through the window, threw the door open for Rusl and cleared off the bed. Rusl lowered him onto the bed and quickly removed his clothes and mail and assessed the damage. A large, deep slash on his thigh, which Link had carefully stitched up and bandaged but must have neglected to clean properly, was badly infected, causing a high fever. A stab wound in his chest-just barely missing vital organs. His shield arm sported a dislocated shoulder and was broken at the elbow and the forearm. And as Rusl looked closer he noticed his body was littered in bruises, old and new.

"Uli, I'm making a potion run. Clean his wounds, set and splint his arm, and try to keep his fever down." Rusl ran out the door with several bottles, leaving Uli alone with the dying boy.

Grabbing the alcohol and bandages from the cabinet, Uli got to work cleaning his wounds, removing his careful stitch work. Link cried out in pain and Uli choked back tears. She couldn't lose it now. She had to hold it together. Mustering all her strength and bracing herself for the cry that would come, she shoved his shoulder back into its socket. His resulting scream was heartbreaking, but she had to continue on, setting his arm, trying her best not to let his pain stop her from helping him. Time for fever control. She placed a cool cloth on his forehead and spooned milk into his mouth, hoping, praying that somehow he'd be okay.

It couldn't have been more than an hour when Rusl returned and took over, leaving Uli to finally rest. Rusl rebandaged his wounds with potion soaked layers. Then, he carefully raised the boy's head and poured two servings of red potion down his throat. The effect was immediate. The color returned to his cheeks, his breathing normalized, and much of the pain seemed to have lessened, for he was silenced. His fever lowered, and he began to wake, very confused. He opened his mouth to speak but Rusl beat him to it. "Good heavens Link, what happened to you? Uli and I were so worried, when you disappeared like that. You've been gone weeks, and then you show up looking like this? You're lucky I thought to go to the spring or you'd be dead!"

But Link didn't answer. His eyes drooped closed again as he said "so tired..." and fell back to sleep.

Rusl sighed, but let the boy take a well deserved break. The answers could wait until morning. Perhaps he should sleep too...for as he sat down, he could have sworn he saw a child floating over Link, like something of a ghost, sighing the same heavy sigh of concern he had. He thought too, he heard it mutter "idiot".


End file.
